Held on the 36th street bridge, over looking the 1-80 corridor within sight of the newly designed grain elevators whose theme this year was based on transportation, Elevate was the collaboration of chef, designer and farmer whom together designed a communal space paired it with an artistic menu that together created a unique festive eating experience.

A few months ago, I opened my Facebook page to see a Rosie the Riveter-era e-poster on my site. She was holding an armful of vegetables and the caption beneath her read, “Try Organic Food … or as a your grandparents called it, ‘food.’” Replace the vegetables with a hamburger and the caption could’ve easily read, “Try Grass-fed Beef … or as your grandparents called it, ‘beef.’”

The bartender: You respect her because she stands between you and your drink, whether it be that first sip of cold beer at Friday Happy Hour or a nightcap at the watering hole down the street. If she’s busy, you wait. When she’s ready, you’re served.

But there‘s often more to tending bar than banging out a dozen Kamikaze shots at once. Inventive bartenders, inspired by century-old classics and the methods by...

Go ahead and let the laundry pile up as the dishes lay in the sink.
The lawn is not mowed. The grocery list is long. The new shirt you just put on has strawberry drippings from two seconds ago and your gray hairs are showing up like bright pink neon. The kids are all dressed up for brunch and playing in the mud. It is Mother’s Day. Regardless of all of items on the...